The Catholic Church in the Twenty-First Century: Finding Hope for Its Future in the Wisdom of Its Past

Interesting insights into how history can help resolve some of the Catholic Church's ecclesial probelms today.

The Rev. Michael Himes has amassed an important collection of essays by well-respected Catholic theologians, biblical scholars, and historians. This book, which arose from a conference convened at the Jesuit Rockhurst High School (Kansas City) in 2003, surveys what lessons today's Church can and must learn from its past. The essayists demonstrate the ways that the Church has learned to negotiate the delicate balance between faithfulness to tradition and creative response to contemporary issues. I recommend this book for a general readership: from those intelligent readers interested in the history of the Church to scholars. Timothy P. Muldoon, Ph.D. Director, The Church in the 21st Century Center Boston College